Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, After taking a tiny break to rejuvenate ourselves, the Norwood News is back with its latest edition. Check out 24 pages of community news happening in and around your Bronx neighborhood. We begin with page one! This story previews the impending traffic headaches set to fall on Norwood. It’s thanks to two road projects that will take out lanes and test your patience. Jonathan Custodio spoke with residents on their thoughts on the dual projects. Read the city’s response to the first project. Inside the cover you’ll find my first-person account of serving jury duty with Mayor Bill

Mosholu Library Receives $15000 in State Funds A Rarity (Web Picture)

By JONATHAN CUSTODIO

You can bookmark Aug. 21 as a special day for Mosholu Library, which received a novel $15,000 in state funds. “Our libraries are community hubs and places of resources and comfort,” said Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, said at a news conference at the library on Aug. 21, “we can all relate in our passion for reading and looking for education, and really finding an escape.” The source of the newly distributed funds comes from discretionary funding of $60,000. The funds were evenly distributed to Allerton, Pelham Parkway-Van Nost and Morris Park libraries. Jane Addison-Amoyaw has managed the Mosholu library for the

The Bronx Breaks Ground on its Second YMCA

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

Speaking in front of a crowd of community leaders, lawmakers, and youth activists at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Edenwald YMCA, Mayor Bill de Blasio explained why the new facility will progress his goal of making New York the “fairest big city in America.” “For all of us who have spent a lot of our lives at Ys, we know the passion that people bring to the work,” de Blasio said at the ceremony on Aug. 20. “The fact that so many Bronxites are about to benefit because of what will be built here is truly, truly inspiring.” The 50,000

Pols- Elevator Needs at Mosholu Pkwy. Station

By DAVID CRUZ

A petitioning campaign is underway in Norwood aimed at putting pressure on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to prioritize the installation of a much-needed elevator at the Mosholu Parkway 4 No. train station. The effort is noticeably led by Eric Dinowitz, District Leader for the area’s 81st Assembly District who’s expressed interest in running for the City Council seat currently held by Norwood Councilman Andrew Cohen. Cohen, whose district overlaps with the train station, was not there. “We know that more than 10 percent of the population here has a disability, so you could figure it’s over a thousand people who

With One Month Before Primary, Bronx Political Forces at Play

By MARTIKA ORNELLA and DAVID CRUZ

A sleepy political race and quiet political machinations abut a closely-watched contest ahead of the Sept. 13 Democratic primary, which could see a dramatic shift in representation across the borough. The theme of progressivism has coursed through key races in the Bronx, thanks to political histrionics coming out of Washington, D.C. It began with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the socialist Democrat beating established frontrunner Congressman Joe Crowley in the June 26 Democratic primary in a race that pitted an outsider against an insider. That theme has spilled onto the race for the 34th Senate District between Alessandra Biaggi, an attorney who once

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

As has been the case for years, the Norwood News will be taking its summer hiatus, and this current edition will cover virtually the entire month of August. This means readers won’t see another print edition until Aug. 30. We’ll be around, of course. You’ll find our bylines on the website, www.norwoodnews.org. You may also continue to send tips, letters, and story ideas to Editor-in-Chief David Cruz at dcruz@norwoodnews.org or norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News is out, though this time it’s our traditional one-month edition. That’s right, one month. But it’s packed with plenty of news that will get you talking for the month so let’s start with page one. Our epic page one story focuses on several political rumblings and races heading into the September primary. For the Bronx, that’s usually a time where Democrats will decide who will want to be their general election nominee. You’ll hear from the candidates in the closely watched 34th Senate District and the lone nominee for the

By CHRISTY RAE AMMONS

Several proposals are under way to provide banking services, such as ATMs, paycheck cashing, bill payment, electronic money transfers and small-dollar loans, at Bronx post offices in hopes of making residents less reliant on alternative financial services. While the proposals are being championed by the postal union and federal legislators representing the Bronx, Community Board 7’s district manager, Ischia Bravo, worries about the Postal Service biting off more responsibility than it can chew. “Overall, and my board agrees, we think it’s a good idea for a pilot program to begin; however, you know, given the underlying issues that the post

By DAVID CRUZ

I didn’t expect to have one foot in as a private citizen and the other as a reporter during my sole day as a juror at Manhattan Criminal Court. I figured I’d brace myself for two days of killing my hours in a giant room nervously awaiting my name to be called as though it were some kind of death sentence. But, the day before as I was wrapping up a long production day, in came the email showing the next day’s public schedule for Mayor Bill de Blasio: jury duty. I immediately told this to my wife via text,